A Single Spotlight

The stage is a magical place. It's a place where so many people, who all have different jobs, come together to create something spectacular.
In a musical:
-actors/actresses
-lights
-orchestra pit
-directors
-tech people

In an orchestra:
-director
-violins
-violas
-cellos
-basses

In a choir:
-director
-pianist
-sopranos
-altos
-tenors
-basses

I LOVE being on the stage. There's something so special about it and it's a great feeling to know that people are out in the audience watching you, paying attention and appreciating your work. Ahh I live for this! I look forward to opportunities to be on the stage and bask in the wonderful atmosphere. So many amazing events take place on the stage and our world definitely wouldn't be the same without it!

The Touch of the Master's Hand

I love this song because it really shows our Heavenly Father's love for us and how he has the ability to help us reach our potential. We are nothing without Him and our Savior, Jesus Christ. If we come unto Him and follow His example we will be able to gain eternal life. I love having that knowledge and am so grateful that we don't have to go through this life alone.

Just like the old violin, there are so many people who feel lost and have gone through so much. They may go unnoticed by the rest of the world and may have lost hope. But there is one who always notices. He knows each of us personally and knows our thoughts, feelings, dreams, joys, disappoints, and sorrows. He loves us when it seems like no one else does. He gives us hope and purpose to our lives and as members of His church, we have that responsibility to let those who are struggling know of our loving Heavenly Father and help them restore that hope in their lives. I think that is the main purpose of missionary work and I look forward to serving a mission so I can share with others what I know and be an instrument in the Lord's hands.

Families Are Together Forever

As I've mentioned before, music is a blessing. I had the opportunity to play the violin at both of my grandpa's funerals. Now it's obviously not an event you look forward to, but I felt really lucky to be able to show my love for them through music.

About two years ago, the day after Christmas, my family drove down to Utah. It was so cold and snowy! A lot different from this winter. Apparently my Grandpa T loved the song, Meditation from Thais. There was a girl in his ward, an amazing violinist who went to Julliard, that he wanted to play it. However she couldn't make it so the day before the funeral, I practiced, practiced, practiced to get ready to play. I'm sure it wasn't as great as it could've been if I had more time, but I was grateful I had the chance to play it! When I returned home, I worked on it with my violin teacher and got to the point where it was easy to add emotion into it. Now it's one of my favorite songs too and it's nice that I can share that with my grandpa.

A year and a half ago, Grandpa Blackner passed away. I feel like our whole family became a lot closer during this time which was really cool. Since we live so close to grandma and grandpa, it was really hard on everyone. At his funeral, Jayme sang Abide With Me; 'Tis Eventide which Aunt Kim and I accompanied her on the piano and violin. The Spirit was so strong during this song and at one point, my eyes got so teary I could barely see through to read the music.

I'm so grateful for my grandpas and for the influence they've had in my life. I know that I will see them again and I'm grateful for that knowledge. Sometimes words we don't say can be expressed through music and I'm glad I could show them in some small way how much I care.

I'm Wishing Upon a Star

Everyone has those secret things they wish they could be or things they could do. For me, that list is kind of long because I wish I could do everything! I'm always interested in trying new things and wish I could do everything I wanted do and be good at it! In regards to music, there are three things I have longed to do.
1) Play the harp
Such a beautiful instrument! It's not very common and I think that's one of the reasons why I want to learn how to play. It's unique. I feel like harp players are very elegant and reserved, and of course very talented. It would be such a joy to learn how to play, but harps are so expensive!
2) Play the guitar
I've never really learned how to read chords and I feel like with all my music experience, I should know how to do that. Learning to play the guitar would help a lot with that! When I think of myself as a guitar player, I think of Taylor Swift. And I love her, so it would be perfect :) Oh which reminds me that I should make it clear that I'm talking about acoustic guitars, not electric ones.
3) Be a ballerina
I've always dreamed of being a dancer and loved the elegance and grace of ballet. I've read many books about ballet and been fascinated by the hard work and determination that goes into it. They make it seem so easy! I would love to wear a leotard and a tutu and pointe shoes. Doesn't it seem wonderful?

These are just a few of my wishes. Who knows if they'll ever come true!

A Musical Timeline

I've never learned a ton about the time periods in music, perhaps because I thought it would be a boring history lesson, or maybe because I never needed to know. But in this class we have touched on a few of them and I find it so interesting! I suppose because I'm older now and can appreciate it. Hopefully this will make sense for non-music people as well haha!

MEDIEVAL 0-1400 AD
I don't know much about this time period but what is most familiar to me is the Gregorian chant that was used in the Christian church for many centuries. The music at this time is monophonic, which means that there is only one melody line without accompaniment.

Gregorian Chant

RENAISSANCE 1400-1600 AD

Renaissance means "new birth". During this time a lot was added to music. This included women, different instruments, polyphony; or different parts that interact together, harmony, syncopation. Music was still used a lot for worship which resulted in the invention of hymns and other forms of sacred music. Palestrina is said to be the greatest composer of this time period.

Sicut Cervus

BAROQUE 1600-1750 AD

The beginning of this period is designated by the invention of opera as a way to recapture ancient Greek music. The invention of the violin was followed by the development of purely instrumental music. Also many notation marks such as crescendos, dynamic markings, speed, key signature, and the circle of fifths. Three famous composers from this time were Vivaldi, Handel, and Bach. They all have such interesting lives and it's amazing to look at what inspired their writing and how they used their music to portray their feelings and emotions. I've had a lot of experience with each of these musical geniuses and thoroughly enjoy the work that they've produced. 

Bach Double

Vivaldi Spring

Handel's Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus

CLASSICAL 1750-1800 AD

Many people refer to all "boring" music as classical, but only the music written during this time is technically called classical, and it might just be my favorite. The most important new feature of classical music is the Sonata which consisted of usually four movements. The first movement, allegro, used the Sonata Allegro form which also had four parts. A) Exposition - Theme 1, Transition, Theme 2 B) Development C) Recapitulation - Theme 1, Transition, Theme 2 D) Coda. The second movement was adagio, the third minuet, and the fourth, allegro. Joseph Hadyn was a father figure to both Mozart and Beethoven. Mozart began composing before age 5 and performed on the piano often. Beethoven was very depressed and sad about his deafness which is illustrated in his 5th Symphony. It expresses both fate and hope. One of my favorites of Beethoven is Moonlight Sonata. 

The Magic Flute - Queen of the Night Aria

Moonlight Sonata

Beethoven's 5th Symphony

ROMANTIC 1800-1900 AD

The highlight of romantic music was the ability to communicate with the audience. Lots of huge full orchestras were used and once again, amazing composers. 

Chopin's Ballade No. 1 Op 23 in G Minor

Everyone knows Brahm's Lullaby!

And of course The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky

CONTEMPORARY 1900-present

The evolution has come about because all composers have influence on one another. You are probably all familiar with this era because it is taking place right now! Starting with jazz, moving to rock and roll, and Broadway shows. Great artists such as George Gershwin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Elvis. Timeless shows like Oklahoma, Singin' in the Rain, and Music Man. 

Claude Debussy's Claire de Lune

Rhapsody in Blue

Hound Dog

I find history so fascinating, especially when you look at something that has had such a profound impact on our society. It has changed so much but has never gone away and I don't think it ever will! I hope you're enjoying this musical journey and that you are learning a lot!

Hey Y'all!

Many genres of music have shaped our country and have had influence throughout the years. Today I would like to travel down to the South, the country capital of the world. 

Cowboys, Red Necks, and Southern Belles. It's seriously another culture down there. There are so many stereotypes associated with this region of the United States. Including cowboys, cornbread, sweet iced tea, red necks, guns, beer, horses, slavery, porches with rocking chairs, plantations, drawls, county fairs and... I think you get the point.

All of these and more are the inspiration behind the country music that guitar and cowboy hat artists create. Full of soul and down to earth feelings, country music is definitely one of a kind and something that most people can connect with at some point in their life or another. 

If I could sum up country music in three themes they would be:

1. Love

2. Tradition of the South (all of the above mentioned items)

3. Lifestyle (reactions to life, attitudes, personality, ways to live)

Although it was not my favorite at first, but I have learned to love it and appreciate it. I feel like that can happen with a lot of things in life. We can be so against something or refuse to give it a chance but when we take a closer look, we may find that we really enjoy something or that it's not as bad as we thought it was. I guess in a sense we often judge too quickly and are not open to change or trying new things. 

I can always find the perfect country song to express what I'm feeling. I've also had the chance to go to three country concerts and they have all been fabulous! Sometimes I worry that the songs won't be as good live but I have been proved wrong! They were amazing!

Carrie Underwood

Brad Paisley

Rascal Flatts

Three of my favorites! Someday I want to go to a Taylor Swift concert as well. One thing I find fascinating is that country artists are all different ages and it never goes out of style! I've heard my grandparents talk about listening to George Strait and he's still popular today! 

David Archuleta

Okay well let me start off by saying....what a cutie! But this blog is about music, not attractive young men haha! I first came into contact with David Archuleta on the beloved show American Idol. He was 16 years old at the time and I was extremely impressed with not only his musical talent, but also that he was mormon! It's always really exciting to me to see members of the church on TV or other such media because they often set such a great example for people and help others to understand more about our church. Although David didn't win that season, he still has become extremely popular and has three great albums!

After each season of American Idol, the top 10 go on tour around the country. My sister and I bought tickets the day of to go the the concert with two of our cousins. Let's just say it was an amazing experience! It was one of my first concerts and I loved every minute of it! The thing about David is that he is just so down to earth and can show his talent without being really crazy and trying to get attention. He also plays the piano and gave such a great performance that night!

My next encounter with David was at Stadium of Fire last summer. It was my third time at this show and I haven't once been disappointed. The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday and this always seems like the perfect way to celebrate! He sang a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner which started out with a video of him singing it when he was a little kid. Precious! Later on in the show he performed some songs from his albums and I enjoyed singing along :)

Although I wasn't at this event, David sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir two years ago at their annual Christmas Concert. I heard it was an amazing performance and I can't wait to watch the DVD.

Of course I own all his albums, including his the songs he sang on American Idol and have majority of the lyrics memorized :) Except I'm going to miss hearing new music for the next two years because David has decided to serve a mission! I was so excited to hear this great news and am grateful for his example and his ability to keep his standards, do what he knows is right, and bless the lives of so many through his voice.

This is one of my favorite songs of his!